An Unlikely Place for Love Page 9

  “Almost,” she told him, pretending she didn’t notice that he was irritated with the men. She worked on her last screw. Her hand was protesting but she forced her discomfort aside so she wouldn’t have to listen to him tell her how feminine she seemed since she couldn’t do the work he told her to do.

  “You’re already popular around here,” Sam told her. “I think we might be able to talk the women into making a couple of dishes so we can have another potluck.”

  Now that sounded like a good idea. She was eager to taste some of their delicious food again. “Who made the fried chicken last Saturday?” she wondered.

  “Rachel Courtney. She’s married though so you can’t court her.”

  “I just wanted to eat more of her food. I might thank her for making it but I had no intention of being friendly with her. Really, I can’t stress the fact enough that I am not settling down yet.”

  “We’d love to have you stick around,” Jeff replied.

  They clearly didn’t believe her or chose not to believe her, so she left the matter alone. She turned to Chad. “Alright. I’m done. What’s next, boss?”

  Chad turned to his other farmhands. “Sam and Jeff, I need you to get a ladder and some red paint and brushes from the shed. Tim, I want you to feed the sheep and collect the eggs.”

  “We must have done too much socializing,” Tim grumbled as they went to their assigned tasks.

  “Would they have done what you told them to if I wasn’t here?” she asked Chad.

  It was meant to be a question spoken out of curiosity, but he apparently took offense to it since he scowled at her.

  “Lighten up. I was just asking a simple question.” She shook her head and waited for him to tell her what to do next.

  To her surprise, he glared at her.

  What did I do now? He was so particular about anything she dared to say. And they say women are hard to deal with.

  “I managed this farm before you came and I’ll manage it after you’re gone,” he coldly stated. He practically threw the board up to the wall and angrily pounded the nails through the smaller boards and into the wall.

  “Were you this delightful with your wife?” She hadn’t meant to say it aloud but the words flew out before she had time to consider the sanity of asking such a question to a man who had a hammer in his hand.

  He ignored her and continued to work on the shelf.

  She crossed her arms. “I’m starting to wonder just what kind of husband you were to her. Perhaps I misjudged her. Maybe she was a saint because she had to put up with you and your radical mood swings.”

  He stopped pounding the nails into the wall and turned to her.

  Wow. I said too much. She was ready to run out of the barn and find Sam and Jeff or Tim. At least with the other farmhands around, he kept quiet.

  “Do you think I’m a fool?” he finally demanded.

  This wasn’t what she expected. “Uh...” She wasn’t sure how to respond. Did she think he was a fool? She thought over his question. “Alright. Yes, I do.”

  His jaw dropped.

  “Well, you asked. Did you want me to lie?”

  “You are so good at reading people you barely know. How am I a fool?”

  “You let them walk all over you. I’m the only one you care to tell your true opinion to. You have no trouble pointing out how inferior I am to you in physical strength, yet you would never say one negative word to any of those three men. You don’t stand up for yourself, and that makes you a fool. You think you’re strong, but real strength comes from within. Your father-in-law was right. He said you were weak.”

  His face grew red. “I’m not as foolish as you think I am, Bob, if that’s your real name. I don’t believe your story. I don’t believe you’re from Kentucky and seeking adventure out through the country. You’re here for another reason. Either you’re hiding because you’re in danger or in trouble with the law; I haven’t figured that out yet. But I will discover your secret.”

  She blanched. So give him a point for figuring that one out. She uneasily cleared her throat. “Fine. So we’re both fools.”

  He dropped his hammer and ran to the ladder.

  She gasped and followed him. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to find out the truth.”

  This wasn’t good. “Look, let’s not be hasty. We both have things to hide. I can live with that. Let’s agree that we won’t go snooping into each other’s business.”

  Just as he reached the top of the ladder, she grabbed him by the ankle. He shook his leg to get her loose but she held on with all of her strength.

  “I take it back! You’re not a fool,” she quickly yelled. “I’m sure you were a perfect gentleman around your crazy and unlovable wife. Everyone is wrong and you’re right!”

  “Let go of me!” He kicked his leg back and the ladder almost fell backward. Chad held onto the edge of the loft and pulled them forward until the ladder settled back into place.

  There was no way she was going to let him discover her secret. She rested one foot on the ladder and stepped up far enough so she could reach the belt around his waist. She climbed over his back and over his head. Her foot landed by accident on his face as she pushed off of him so she was safely in the loft. She managed to get away from him before he could grab her.

  To her shock, he climbed back down the ladder and took it away. She gasped and looked down at him.

  “Bring that back!” she demanded.

  “I will when it’s convenient for me. I need this to paint the side of this barn.”

  “What? You can’t leave me here!”

  “Why not? I’m a horrible person. You’ve figured it out. My wife was wonderful. I did this to her all the time.”

  “Oh, we both know you wouldn’t have done this to a woman.”

  “Do we?” He put the ladder on his shoulder and walked towards the barn door.

  “You can’t be serious!”

  He shrugged and kept walking.

  She stared after him, appalled that he actually left her up there without any way to get down. After a few minutes, she sat down. She had pushed him too far. She didn’t really believe he was mean to his wife. It didn’t fit with everything she had seen. He wouldn’t have made her a sandwich that morning, frequently clean her blankets or let her borrow Reliable for the horse races if he wasn’t a considerate person.

  He was tired of being ignored and put down from other people though. It was bad enough that Sam, Tim and Jeff taunted him on a daily basis, but for her to insinuate that he needed her in order to keep the other farmhands in line and calling him weak was too much. Considering all the things he could have done to her in her masculine role, leaving her stranded in the loft was tame. She had heard stories from Sam, Tim and Jeff about how they proved a point to other men who irritated them by beating them up. At least, she hadn’t upset them.

  She sighed as she glanced around the barn. Thankfully, her secret was safe. The less anyone else knew, the safer they were. She watched the horses for awhile before she got bored and laid down. She would have loved to have taken off her binding but didn’t dare in case Chad came back and found her. The previous day had been too close of a call. She closed her eyes. Despite her irritation with Chad, she still cared for him. It was getting more and more difficult to hide her true identity when he was near her. She was too aware of her attraction to him.

  Just as she drifted off to a light slumber, some voices woke her up.

  “I don’t get why Billy is so nice to Chad,” Jeff said.

  “Billy’s probably a lot like Georgia,” Sam replied. “They would have gotten along great. It’s too bad she didn’t marry Billy instead of Chad.”

  “Chad always thought he was too good for anyone. Just because you come from wealth, it doesn’t make you better than everyone else.”

  She peered over the ledge, making sure she was safely hidden from sight.

  Sam and Jeff were sitting on a couple of stools and drinking
some whiskey.

  “Where is Billy at, anyway?” Jeff asked.

  “Chad said that Billy had to take care of some personal business.”

  “I’m glad he decided not to replace Billy with that man who came by looking for a job here. I like Billy.”

  “Billy’s a good man. He’s one of us.” Jeff took a gulp of his whiskey. “How do you know someone applied for the farmhand job?”

  “I saw him talking to Chad a few minutes ago. He was a big muscular man. I didn’t catch his name but heard him telling Chad about his experience as a farmhand. Chad just told him that he already had someone filling in for the job.”

  They sat in silence for a minute while they drank more whiskey.

  “You know, it’s not just the money that made Chad feel like he was superior to us. It’s that whole religion thing,” Sam said. “He won’t drink, gamble, swear, or sleep around.”

  “Well, it’s not like he’s physically able to have sex. Poor guy. Can you imagine not being able to perform? What a shame. Georgia wanted children so badly too.”

  “That’s just as well. Would we really want him to be the father of our nieces or nephews? They’d all be religious fanatics. If he doesn’t want to do all that, then that’s fine but don’t go preaching to other people about not doing it.”

  “There was a time when he did drink a lot.”

  “Yeah and then he suddenly stopped and gave himself to Christ.” He rolled his eyes. “And he’s been acting holier than thou ever since.”

  “I can’t stand him either but what are we going to do when we can’t get the farm back from him? It’s not his but he insists on holding onto it.”

  “He’s probably holding onto it because it reminds him of Georgia. If nothing else, he was as devoted to her as a puppy dog is devoted to its owner.”

  “Thankfully, he has no kids to give it to. We can claim it as soon as he dies.”

  “Which can’t happen soon enough, as far as I’m concerned. It should have been him that died instead of Georgia.”

  Kate cringed. With in-laws like those two, who needed enemies?

  Sam put his whiskey flask back in his pocket and stood up. “We better get out there before he comes looking for us. I don’t know what’s gotten into him today, but he’s been unusually bossy.”

  “Maybe he’s finally developed a backbone,” Jeff snorted.

  They left the barn.

  What lovely men, she sarcastically thought. Suddenly, she felt guilty for the way she talked to Chad. Sure, he didn’t have to be so rough telling her she couldn’t handle the more physically demanding chores on the farm but wasn’t he right? She wasn’t a man, so how could she expect to be able to do a man’s job? She was lucky that he was nice enough to keep her on as a farmhand. He could easily fire her but chose not to, not even when he had another offer from someone who was trained in farming. He’s a good man. He would be faithful and considerate to a woman if he can keep a farmhand hired who couldn’t perform some of the duties on the job and actually told him what he didn’t want to hear.

  She laid back in her temporary bed and closed her eyes. She actually found the neighing of the horses, the meowing of the cats and the clucking of the hens soothing. She didn’t know how much time passed before she heard someone enter the barn and put the ladder against the loft. She waited until Chad came up the ladder before she opened her eyes.

  “Am I allowed to join in the fun and work?” she joked.

  He sighed and leaned against the ladder. “I’m sorry about earlier. You’re entitled to your opinion as long as it doesn’t affect your motivation to work. As for your secret,” he shrugged, “we all have something to hide so it’s no big deal as long as you’re an honest man. You don’t strike me as someone who would be running because of a crime you committed.”

  “I’m sorry too. You’re a good employer. I know I can’t handle the harder tasks as well as other men my height can.”

  “It’s probably because you’re so thin, though being thin does come in handy when it comes to being on a roof. I need someone to paint the barn roof.”

  “I’ll be happy to do it, boss.”

  She noticed him give a slight smile as he shook his head and went back down the ladder. She followed him down.

  “The black paint is in the shed. It’s where all the paint is,” he told her.

  “I’ll get right on it.” She was relieved to have things go back to normal.

  Chapter Six

  Half the barn was painted by Friday afternoon, and once again, Chad marveled that Bob could get Sam, Tim and Jeff to help out. Though Chad tried to be firm with them, they seemed to be content to ignore him or do their job slow enough that they made little progress. What was Bob’s secret? It was more than being the leader of their pack. Bob had a natural charm about him that won people over. He probably never made an enemy a day in his life. He was too likeable. Chad didn’t get along with everyone. He was more quiet and serious than Bob. Bob was talk-a-tive and joked around. There were times when Chad sensed a deep sorrow from Bob, but he respected the man’s need for distance on emotional issues. It wasn’t Chad’s style to dwell on emotional topics either. He simply went about his life and did what he had to do. He lived from one day to the next with little thought to his future.

  After Sam, Tim and Jeff went home for the weekend, Chad saw that Bob was still painting the side of the barn. What Bob didn’t have in physical strength, he more than made up for in determination and patience. He preformed his given task to the best of his ability. I really have been too hard on him. Can he help it if he’s not built to do more demanding tasks? God didn’t make everyone the same way.

  Chad finished cleaning out the horses’ stalls and went over to Bob who was concentrating on his up and down strokes with the paintbrush. “Aren’t you hungry?” he asked the farmhand.

  Bob glanced down from his work. “What time is it?”

  “A little after six.”

  “Already?” He inspected the work he had done and how much more he needed to paint. “I’ll eat once I’m done with this section.” He motioned to the area he wanted to complete. “I want everything to look good once I’m done.”

  Chad chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I thought women were the only ones who were concerned with the way something looked.” He went to the house to make dinner.

  A half hour later, Bob came to the kitchen and took off his hat. “Whatever you’re making tonight, it smells great.”

  Chad grinned. “I thought I would get some use out of one of the lambs I had Sam and Tim help me kill. Albert Price came out today. He owns the butcher shop and paid me for all but one. I kept one so we could have something decent to eat for a change. I know it gets old eating the same meals all the time. Do you like lamb chops?”

  “I love them.” Bob sat down. “So that’s why that man came out today. Why didn’t you have me help with that chore?”

  “Because you were doing such a good job on the barn roof. Sam and Tim were goofing off so I put them to use in something they do well.” Like killing things, such as people’s spirits.

  “I understand.”

  Chad glanced at him. Every time he said that, it unnerved him. He almost felt like he was an open book to the man. Pushing aside the eerie thought, he put the cooked lamb chops on the plate and added a baked potato to each plate.

  “I didn’t realize you had potatoes,” Bob said.

  “I have a vegetable and fruit garden. Haven’t you been by those?”

  Bob shook his head.

  “Maybe you should ride Reliable around this weekend and check out this farm. Do you ever wonder where I go off to during certain times of the day?”

  “I assumed you were hiding from the delightful three.”

  “I don’t need to hide from them. They run off and drink whiskey or talk when they think I’m not looking.”

  “You know they do that?”

  “Very little gets by me
.”

  Bob looked uneasy about that.

  “Whatever your secret is, I have no idea what it is,” he assured the man.

  “I’m not in trouble with the law or anything like that. It’s just something I need to do until the time is right for me to go back.”

  “Because someone’s out to harm you?”

  “More or less.”

  “Can I ask you anything about your family or where you came from?”

  Bob sighed. “I suppose there’s no danger in telling you some things. I have a brother and a sister. I had good parents who have joined the Lord. I had a regular, happy childhood. And now I’m seeing what life has to offer.”

  That sounded innocent enough. It only confirmed Chad’s earlier suspicion that his new farmhand was in some kind of trouble from someone who wished to harm him.

  “What about you? Do you have any siblings?” Bob asked.

  “I have one brother. He’s three years younger than me.”

  “So that makes him how old?”

  “Thirty-three.”

  “Hmm...I didn’t think you were older than thirty-five.”

  “You were one year off.”

  Chad put their plates on the table.

  “Do you want any help?” Bob offered.

  “You always ask me that and I always say no. I don’t mind doing this. It’s the least I can do for all the work you do.” Sometimes he wondered if he should be paying Bob some actual money since Bob worked harder than any of the other farmhands.

  “Alright. I don’t mind doing my part.”

  You already do more than your part. When Chad wasn’t looking, Bob made it a point to feed the horses or clean out the stalls or collect eggs and put them in the house. Chad suspected that Bob was a humble man who didn’t want attention drawn to him, so Chad refrained from mentioning the fact that he noticed the younger man’s work. Instead, Chad tried to make the loft more comfortable by adding more blankets and frequently washing the linen and setting out fresh towels and soap. Bob seemed to take a lot of baths in the river and washed his clothes often since Chad would find his clothes on the clothesline on most days. He’s very particular about being clean. That was probably a good thing since he slept outdoors. Chad often took baths as well but he had his own tub in the house.